Bethsaida page 1

 Bethsaida page 1 by ric gustafson

In 1838, Edward Robinson explored the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He only had a compass because there was no scientific maps of the area. 50 years later, Gottlieb Schumacher also explored the area. He suggested two choices el-Araj and Masudiyeh could be Bethsaida. The writer of John 12:21 claimed that Bethsaida was in Galilee.

In 1987, a Bethsaida Excavations Project was started to investigate 2 sites that could be Bethsaida. The first was et-Tell. It was a settlement dating to the 1st century. The second was El-Araj. It's date was from the Byzantine period. Et-Tell became the clear choice for the Bethsaida Excavations Project.

This is their story.

research help: edited by Rami Arav and Richard Freund

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric